My Food Philosophy...and green smoothie recipe!

Hi lovely peeps! Happy Tuesday — I hope that your weekend was everything that you thought it would be and more. Dan and I had a wedding a couple Friday’s ago, and it was just the most beautiful ever. I didn’t capture many pics because I was #livinginthemoment, but did get this shot below! There’s just something about weddings that are the most fun and heartwarming (and always makes us reminisce back to our wedding in the best possible way <3).

This past weekend, Beck and I took some time to REALLY get back to basics with the podcast and set some goals. Do you ever get going on something and it takes off so quickly that you’re flying by the seat of your pants? Yeah. That’s us with the podcast — but in the absolute best way possible. We are flying on cloud nine, but needed to put a little bit more structure / planning into what’s coming up in the next year. You can always check out what I’m up to outside of the blog over on my Instagram — that’s where I hang out most! And go check out @detoxandchillpodcast to see what’s going on over on the pod!

In today’s post, I wanted to chat about FOOD PHILOSOPHIES. I truly think that there are sooo many trends out there nowadays that it’s just hard to keep up. Keto, Paleo, Macro’s, vegan, vegetarian - the list goes on and on and it’s easy to get bogged down. When I sat down to write this post, I realized my approach to wellness/nutrition is actually pretty simple:

“Eat what is convenient, fresh, and feels good.”

So let’s break that down…what does that mean exactly?

You guys know…I’ve had a long journey defining my relationship with food. I grew up in a “meat and potatoes for dinner” kind of family — thanks dad :). In college, I discovered my passion for wellness, and unfortunately became too restrictive and ultimately developed an eating disorder. After doing a lot (still to this day)of work in recovery, I’ve come to a much healthier, balanced, and accepting place with my food choices, which directly impacts my food philosophy:

Convenient: I work around 50 hours per week in Finance, manage a wellness blog, and co-host a podcast. Because of this, I rely on convenient recipes and weekend prep to healthily fuel myself during the work week.

Fresh: I am a huge proponent of eating food in its most natural form. There is nothing more delicious than a fresh strawberry during the summer season, or a hearty vegetable stew in the dead of winter. I try to eat as much fresh, in-season produce as I can, and incorporate these foods creatively into my weekly dinners. When I do eat meat, I love buying the highest and freshest quality.

Feels good: For so long, I struggled with self-imposed food constraints. I denied myself treats and didn’t let myself live in the moment. I personally have also struggled with digestive issues – specifically, SIBO. What feels good to me (heavy emphasis on me!) is eating primarily dairy-free, gluten-free, and avoiding specific FODMAP triggers such as garlic and onion in particular. However, I also tune into my intuitive cravings, and advocate wholeheartedly for the 80/20 rule. The vast majority of the time, I stick to items that make me feel my best, but sometimes a girl just wants a cookie or a glass of wine. What feels good to me is balance, which is a key cornerstone of my food philosophy.

I guess what I’m trying to say is - let’s not take food SO seriously. It’s fuel, it’s love, it’s community, and it’s DELICIOUS to have a treat every now and then. Let’s loosen the reigns when we want to have that 20% and truly enjoy it.

With that being said…I wanted to share the simple green smoothie recipe I’ve been LOVING for breakfast. I get soooo stuck in breakfast ruts, and this has been an absolutely amazing change from my typical eggs and toast. I pop these ingredients in the Vitamix usually the night before work, let them sit for about 10-15 minutes (easier blending!) and then blend them up and put in a to-go cup for the next morning!

One scoop of Silver Fern chocolate protein (it has probiotics in it!) — use code DETOX15 for 15% off!

Frozen organic spinach

3 or 4 frozen strawberries

1 TB almond butter

Almond milk

I would absolutely LOVE to hear your “food philosophies” — do you follow a specific diet, or do you have a different approach?